Southern Water Local Authority Stakeholder Group Meeting
Wealden District Council's press release. A group of south east councils - including Arun District Council, which holds Southern Water to account regarding water quality and infrastructure problems, has met with a government minister responsible for water and flooding.
The Southern Water Local Authority Stakeholder Group - set up by Wealden council - had a meeting this week with Emma Hardy, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Water and Flooding.
The group includes representatives from more than 20 councils across the south east - spanning from Folkestone & Hythe to the New Forest - in the aftermath of a catalogue of issues including flooding, sewage seeping into people's homes, gardens and roads, the ongoing problem of discharges into rivers and waterways and the inability to deal with additional development.
The group members shared their concerns with the minister, who committed to getting the group more information on Southern Water's investment plans and also agreed to work with the partnership and her officials to continue the dialogue and work towards solutions.
The main objective of the group is to act as a platform for local authorities to come together across political party lines, to hold Southern Water (and its regulators) to account for the poor quality of our waterways and coastline.
It was set up in the aftermath of a catalogue of issues including flooding, sewage seeping into people's homes, gardens and roads, the ongoing problem of discharges into rivers and waterways and the inability to deal with additional development.
Various meetings have taken place since the group's inception - some of which have included special speakers from Southern Water, the Environment Agency and most recently Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT) - which have all been well received and continue to be ongoing.